On Tuesday, President Donald Trump practically turned the White House’s South Lawn into a pop-up Tesla showroom. It was a pretty obvious favor to his adviser and Tesla co-founder, Elon Musk.
Tesla dropped off five cars at the White House
The cars were lined up on the driveway for Trump to check out. This happened just hours after he posted on Truth Social, saying he was planning to buy a Tesla to show his support for Musk and his company.
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The US president was fascinated with the Cybertruck
Trump called the cars “beautiful” and even gave a special shoutout to the Cybertruck’s unique design. “As soon as I saw it, I said, ‘That is the coolest design,’” he told reporters.
Trump said some of his friends had good things to say about Teslas. He even got behind the wheel of one of the sedans, with Musk riding shotgun, and said he was planning to buy one.
And he actually chose one on the spot
Pointing at a red Model S, Trump said, “The one I like is that one, and I want the same color.” That model goes for $73,490 on Tesla’s site—or $88,490 if you go for the all-wheel-drive Plaid version.
It’s pretty rare for a top government official to openly hype up a consumer product like this
Back in 2017, when Kellyanne Conway told people to buy from Ivanka Trump’s clothing line, she got a warning from the government ethics office and had to promise not to do it again.
By checking out the Teslas in front of cameras, Trump made sure his purchase got plenty of attention. Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff, even livestreamed the whole thing on X.
Critics call out Trump’s Tesla showcase as corruption
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. had something to say about the whole thing.
“Just because the corruption plays out in public doesn’t mean it’s not corruption,” he posted on X, along with a clip of Trump hopping into a Tesla.
Trump has been shifting the focus to billionaire interests
Since taking office, Trump has been shifting away from the populist talk of his first term and campaign, leaning more into the priorities of his billionaire supporters.
Musk, for one, has been pushing hard for the administration to slash thousands of middle-class federal jobs. Meanwhile, the stock market’s been dropping, hitting people’s retirement savings. But on Tuesday, Trump’s attention was all on Musk.
Tesla faced backlash and stock troubles
Tesla’s been dealing with a lot of backlash lately, mostly over Musk getting more involved in politics. His push to cut government jobs and his support for far-right parties haven’t exactly helped.
The company’s stock has been slipping every week since Musk’s trip to D.C., dropping 15% on Monday before bouncing back a bit on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Tesla facilities have been seeing protests, vandalism, and even fires at charging stations.
Musk’s role in the Trump administration raised a lot of concerns lately
Musk’s role in the government is becoming more of a hot topic, especially with him being both a White House adviser and head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. The administration is dealing with lawsuits claiming he’s overstepping his legal and constitutional limits, and some of Trump’s Cabinet members aren’t too happy about him getting involved in their agencies.
Trump, on the other hand, expressed his admiration and support for Musk
“They’re harming a great American company,” he said.
Talking about Musk, he added, “He’s built this great company, and he shouldn’t be penalized because he’s a patriot.”
